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Gene regulation and speciation in house mice
Katya L Mack1, Polly Campbell2, Michael W Nachman1
1Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3160, USA;
Genome Research
|February 3, 2016
Summary
Hybrid incompatibilities in mice reveal that gene regulatory differences, particularly cis-regulatory changes and compensatory evolution, play a key role in the speciation process and reproductive isolation.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Genetics
- Molecular biology
Background:
- Speciation research often involves studying genetic factors causing post-zygotic isolation.
- Hybrid incompatibilities can arise from epistatic interactions between divergent gene regulatory elements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of regulatory divergence in hybrid incompatibilities and reproductive isolation.
- To test predictions about regulatory evolution in house mouse subspecies.
Main Methods:
- Utilized mRNA sequencing of testes from fertile hybrid males (Mus musculus musculus x M. m. domesticus).
- Characterized allele-specific expression to identify regulatory divergence.
- Compared gene expression in fertile versus sterile hybrid males.
Main Results:
- Found extensive regulatory divergence between subspecies, primarily due to cis-regulatory changes.
- Observed widespread compensatory evolution in cis- and trans-regulatory changes.
- Identified genes misexpressed in sterile hybrids, showing association with compensatory evolution.
Conclusions:
- Regulatory divergence, including compensatory evolution, contributes to Dobzhansky-Muller incompatibilities.
- Gene regulatory interactions are significant factors in the speciation process.
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